Adler was the model of efficiency on the hillfor the Tigers, yielding just two hits, no walks and no runs over five innings in Alamogordo's first district win.

"He's hitting his spots, he kept the ball down, he stayed ahead in the count, and he didn't walk anybody that was huge for us," Coach Randy McCloud said of Adler. "When we struggled against Onate, our biggest struggle was giving up too many walks and letting too many free ones get on."

Alamogordo wasted no time getting on the board in the first. Junior shortstop Tyler Shumard drew a leadoff walk, stole second and junior DH Nathan Winrow singled him in. Senior first baseman Tanner Graham then followed with a double, bringing home Winrow and giving the Tigers an early 2-0 lead.

Drawing first blood is important for the Tigers, as scoring in the early innings

gives Alamogordo momentum for the rest of the ballgame.

"If we do really well early in the game and we get runners on and score a couple runs, confidence just builds from there," McCloud said.

In the third, Shumard, once again, got the Tigers going with a leadoff walk. Two Panther errors (both coming on the same play) and a Winrow double later, Shumard and junior second baseman Caleb Agnew came around to score and increase Alamogordo's lead to four.

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The Tigers then used three walks and a Shumard single in the fourth to tackon another run, making it a 5-0 advantage. Shumard was particularly effective on the night in the leadoff spot, finishing one for one with a stolen base, three walks, two runs scored and an RBI.

"It's very important to get our leadoff hitter on so that we can manufacture some runs," McCloud said. "Especially with wood bats now, we have to get runners

in scoring position early in the game. Plus, we got some big hitters coming up

[after Shumard] Winrow, Graham they're great hitters, and they need to get somebody in scoring position to drive them in."

As for Shumard's approach at the dish, the junior broke it down fairly simply.

"I just look for fastballs in the zone, and lay off the curveballs," Shumard said. "Their pitchers weren't throwing curveballs for strikes. All fastballs is what I'm looking for, and anything out of the zone, just don't swing."

The Tigers' potent early-game offense on Tuesday night made Adler's job a lot simpler, too, as the righty explained that pitching with the lead takes pressure off and enables him to zone in out on the mound.